Brother's Secret
by YoungestCullen8
Summary: Sequel to Doctor vs Doctor: Woo Bin's brother Woo Ahn is back and the first person he sees is Ga Eul. Unaware of the horrendous past of the older Song son, she is warned by Yi Jeong to never be alone with him. But he keeps coming around asking about his brother's girlfriend and new baby. How can she keep her promise? R&R
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:** You people are gluttons! This is my third Boys Over Flowers story because you people keep eating it up. This story is purely for my favorite Guest and jayjayzek because you two have been insanely awesome at reviewing! It makes me happy to make you happy with these stories. Although this one I'm kind of nervous because there is already a set standard with Yi Jeong and Ga Eul. Please be honest with me if you think it's total crap!

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"Were you with Woo Bin again?"

So Yi Jeong turned at the sound of his girlfriend's voice, smiling when he saw that she was wearing one of his button up shirts with a pair of shorts. It was late, and he wondered why she had waited up for him when she had to work the next day.

Yi Jeong wasn't a normal man. Far from it actually. He was filthy stinking rich in his own right and because of his father. His father was owned Korea's largest art gallery and made millions by putting on art shows year round. Yi Jeong's won pieces went somewhere in the millions of Won when he sold them. So he had his own bank account with his own money that his father couldn't touch.

Growing up a member of F4 had had its benefits. Being Casanova, he had been able to get any girl he wanted. Most of the time it had only taken the simplest of smiles to get them to come over. But he had never stayed with one more than a short amount of time before moving on to the next one. He and his best friend Song Woo Bin had probably reached a total over a hundred women they had seen since they had hit the age of fifteen. But now that they had their driver's licenses, they had so much more freedom.

That had been until a girl named Geum Jan Di had entered the picture and turned their world upside down. She had caught the eye of their illustrious leader Goo Jun Pyo, heir of Korea's largest company Shinhwa Group, while she had attended Shinhwa High School after saving the life of a student. Unfortunately, it wasn't only Jun Pyo's eye she caught, but that of Yoon Ji Hoo. While Jun Pyo's mother sought to tear them apart by any means necessary, Ji Hoo had thought to snatch Jan Di out from under his friend's nose.

While this was all going on, Yi Jeong and Woo Bin had sat back and watched the entire thing play out. But Yi Jeong wasn't left unscathed. They had helped so many times to keep the couple together that most of the time they had forgotten about their own happiness. Until Jan Di's friend Cha Ga Eul had walked into his life.

Happy and fun, Ga Eul had been a warm spring breeze following winter's cold chill. She hadn't wanted him for his money or status. She had wanted his heart, but he had been too much of an idiot to see that. He had hurt her so many times; one of the most memorable was by telling her that he didn't date good girls. The whole reason he'd said that was because his father was a worse playboy than he was, and Yi Jeong had been afraid that he'd turn into him. So he'd tried to keep his distance.

But Ga Eul was stubborn and had wedged her way into his heart. She had helped him reconnect with his first love when he had broken his hand. Then she had helped him reconnect with his second love by showing him the sunrise. She had been there through the toughest times and he hadn't been able to tell her that he actually cared for her.

It had taken Woo Bin in the privacy of his home (Woo Bin's home) to tell him how much an idiot he was. He had said that Ga Eul was on a whole different playing field than Yi Jeong. While he had been on level four, she was on level five and steadily making her way upwards with the way she treated people. Now Woo Bin was known as Don Juan and was as equally bad with women, but he'd actually attempted a steady relationship whereas Yi Jeong hadn't, so in that sense he had more experience and could call his baby friend an idiot.

When he had finally quit fighting his feelings, it had almost been too late. Ga Eul had told him she was going to quit pursuing him. He had been offered a position in Sweden to make his artwork that much more fantastic. He had been about to ask her to go with him but after she had said that, he had left with the promise to find her first.

It had taken him four years but he had come back to Korea as fresh as the day he had first started training to be a potter. He had gone straight to her and asked her out properly. Casanova had been firmly put to rest that day.

He took off his watch and set it on the velvet padding on his dresser then took off his vest. It was a blessing and a curse to live with someone. He had to answer to someone when he came home late, but he always had someone to come home to.

Sitting on the bed he reached down to pull off his socks. He had moved into Ga Eul's apartment shortly after returning from Sweden. There had been no rhyme or reason for it except that he had wanted to be close to her no matter how much they got on each other's nerves. It gave him time to understand everything about her and for her to decide whether or not she wanted to be in his world. If she had decided to leave, he could pack his things and walk out.

"Woo Bin's been having a rough time since Bin Ji had to go to the hospital again," he replied.

Bin Ji was Woo Bin's three month old son with his girlfriend Choi Eri. Eri was a French/Korean pediatric cardiovascular surgeon at the same hospital as Yoon Ji Hoo and Geum Jan Di. She also worked with Ji Hoo at his clinic from time to time. Eri was hearing impaired and had been introduced to them nearly a year ago when she first moved to Korea.

They had all been surprised, but hearing about her past had surprised them more. Due to a car accident and hateful parents, she had shut off all her emotions and had a hard time communicating with people. Woo Bin had stepped up to the challenge and they had become a very cute couple. But it wasn't Woo Bin where Eri's closest relationship lied. It was with Yi Jeong since he was the one who had the clay that she could use to express everything she was feeling.

When she was seven months pregnant with Bin Ji, Eri and Woo Bin had been in a severe car accident where the doctor had to deliver the baby before he died due to distress. During the process, Kang Kyu Lee – Yoon Ji Hoo's girlfriend – had made a life changing decision for the young couple, one that they didn't regret to this day.

"How is he?" Ga Eul asked as she brought him a glass of water and sat down beside him.

"His fever hasn't gone down. They're going to keep him overnight in hopes that fluids would be able to bring it down. They say it's the flu since Eri had it a few days ago. Her immune system hasn't been the best since she had Bin Ji."

"Did she ever tell you why she named that boy Bin Ji instead of something with Woo?"

Yi Jeong laughed around the rim of the glass. "It's a combination of Woo Bin's and Ji Hoo's names. Eri has a hard time signing our names when she doesn't wear her hearing aids so they named him something she could sign." He nudged her shoulder. "Why are you still up? I thought you have to work tomorrow."

"I do, but something came up that I thought you might want to know about."

"What is it?"

"Woo Ahn came by today."

He nearly dropped the glass. "What did he want?"

"He wants to meet with Woo Bin, but he says his brother refuses to meet him."

There was a good reason Woo Bin refused to meet with his older brother Woo Ahn. The brothers were five years apart in age and polar opposites. Woo Bin was warm and inviting. He loved to have fun and be the life of the party. He was always smiling and if he wasn't there was a good reason.

Woo Ahn was completely different. He was cold and calculating. He had studied so much in school that he flubbed every test he ever took. He hated being noticed and only spoke when spoken to. He never smiled, not even in family photos, and if he did everyone worried what he had done.

But that hadn't been the reason they had a falling out. Woo Bin had dated a girl in middle school that he had really liked and that Jun Pyo had approved of. He had always met her at an arcade by her school since she hadn't gone to Shinhwa like the rest of them. She had been really nice and calm, a nice foil to Woo Bin. But Woo Ahn had only seen her as a hindrance.

One night while she had been waiting for Woo Bin, he had invited her to a coffee shop for some tea because it had been chilly out. She had gone because it had been cold. Woo Ahn had told her that his brother had been secretly seeing another woman behind her back and that he didn't like her anymore. She had adamantly denied it until she had seen Woo Bin walking by with Seo Hyun.

Heartbroken, she had started to run out, but Woo Ahn had grabbed her hand to keep her with him. He had proposed a plan: she should do the same to Woo Bin that he had done to her. He offered to date her as well. She had been a second year in middle school and he a freshman in college. It had been totally wrong and twisted.

The best way to describe that relationship would be to compare it to 50 Shades of Grey. Woo Ahn had been brutal in his sexualization of that poor girl. In the end he hadn't been careful and had gotten her pregnant. Then he had left her without a word.

Woo Bin had found out and had beaten his brother to a bloody pulp. Their parents had come home to blood covering the sparring room mats and Woo Ahn in a heap. He had explained to his parents what had happened. When they asked why he did it, he had said it was fun. Since that night, both Woo Bin and Woo Jun hadn't had anything to do with Woo Ahn. Ka Lee spoke to him from time to time though.

"Woo Bin will refuse to meet Woo Ahn. After he was disinherited and Woo Bin made successor, the brothers haven't spoken. I'm surprised Woo Bin allowed him in the recovery room when Eri had surgery after the wreck," Yi Jeong explained.

"Was it that bad?" Ga Eul didn't understand because she hadn't grown up in the chaebol world. Certain things were new to her, and this would be one of them.

"My older brother, Il Hyun, was good friends with Woo Ahn from middle school to high school. When he was disinherited, Il Hyun went to see him to ask why he did what he did. He simply said he did it because it was fun. Il Hyun hasn't spoken to him since then. There are certain things you can't do even in our section of the world. Woo Ahn went way too over the line with it."

"What did he do?"

Yi Jeong turned to her. "You'll have to ask Woo Bin. It's his story, but promise me you won't be left alone with Woo Ahn if he shows up again. He's not a normal man."

Ga Eul didn't understand what he was asking but there was a little bit of fear in his gaze and voice. She nodded, and Yi Jeong kissed her forehead. She knew he was doing what was best for her. If keeping Woo Bin's secret was what was best right now, she would respect it.

"Thank you," he whispered with his lips against her skin. "Now go on to bed. I'm going to shower and I'll join you shortly."

She watched him disappear into the bathroom. He was doing what he thought was right, but she wondered whether anyone had done that for Woo Ahn.


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's Note:** First I would like to thank zayzayjek yet again for the correction on Ga Eul's name. It was so late when I wrote the first chapter that my eyes were closing as I was writing. It was just a typo, but I had to double check because I'm a perfectionist like that. You're an awesome reader! Keep it up!

Second, if anyone else finds mistakes, please tell me. There was once a time where I would react badly when someone criticized me for a mistake. Now I just let it roll off and check their reference before I do anything more. I even admit when I'm wrong, so don't feel insecure in telling me I've made mistakes. Unless it's just mean and spiteful I will do my best to change it and make you guys happy.

Third! Am I the only one who started singing when I think of something? I started singing the lyrics to the Scorpions "Rock You like a Hurricane" while making coffee. That could also be because it's morning here and the sun had just come up. Anyway, I have my cup of coffee, "Hello Counselor" is playing, and I'm ready to write.

Here we go!

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Ga Eul waited patiently at the table, eyes following the lines of her book carefully so she didn't miss anything. The night before had been very stressful. She had gotten a call from Yi Jeong that he was going to the hospital because little Bin Ji had contracted a virus and his fever wasn't going down. She had asked if she should go with him, but he had declined and told her to rest.

There had been no way to rest because she was concerned about the baby she affectionately called her nephew. She had paced their apartment until there had been a ring at the door. Thinking it was one of her friends, she had gone to open it only to find someone she had never seen before. He had introduced himself as Song Woo Ahn, Woo Bin's older brother. Because she knew Woo Bin, she had let him in.

He had looked around the room and had commented on how small it was for a member of F4. Ga Eul hadn't said much about it, thinking it rude to base someone's life on material things. Yi Jeong was very happy living with her, but she hadn't said it. He had continued by asking if she knew where his brother was. She had responded in the affirmative with a nod of her head but hadn't said anything more. There was no reason to tell him that his brother lived across town with his family. Not even his parents knew that. F4 had been very secretive on where Woo Bin and Ji Hoo lived.

She had seen his temper rise when she refused him but refused to rise to his bait. There was no need for an argument when she wasn't in the wrong. He had said his goodbyes and left without another word. Not much later Yi Jeong had returned and she had told him everything.

Now, Yi Jeong didn't make it a habit of lying to her. He told her the truth even when he knew it would hurt her feelings or make her angry. He had always been that blunt and brutal with her, and it was one of the reasons she loved him. But last night she had a feeling he had kept something from her, something very important concerning their family. And they were a family.

So she had been sneaky. Eri was working at the hospital that day in pediatrics where their son was in so she would be close if something drastic happened. She had called Woo Bin out for lunch. The only way he was going to come was if he paid for it. She had agreed and they decided on a restaurant not too far from his office.

She had gotten there early so she could get one of the better seats that was slightly secluded from outside view. She wanted answers to when Yi Jeong wouldn't tell her. It was sneaky and behind his back and he might get mad, but not everyone was as bad as they were made out to be.

"Sorry I'm late." She looked up as Woo Bin touched her shoulder then sat down across from her.

She shook her head. "Apparently the staff know you so I went ahead and ordered. Is that all right?"

"That's fine. I have about an hour and a half until I have to meet my dad for an inspection so this was perfect time," he replied with a smile.

Every time he did that she could see why every girl in high school had thrown themselves at him. He was truly Don Juan. He had the looks with that light brown hair and dark brown eyes and the killer smiles. But that smile had toned down since he'd met Eri nearly a year ago. It was gentler and more loving, something only a man in love could pull off.

"It must be hard to work on weekends," she mused.

He shook his head. "Not really. I'm used to it by now. Dad knows now that I'm a father in my own right that I want to spend time with my family. He's doing this so I don't have to do it in the future. I actually had a normal home life compared to everyone else. My parents were always there when I wanted them to be, especially in the important moments."

When he compared himself to the others, he didn't do it out of spite. He meant that his family wasn't as fractured or gone as the others. His parents weren't divorced and didn't fight constantly. That's not to say they didn't fight, but it wasn't a bloody brawl when they did. Jun Pyo's family was on the opposite end of that spectrum in that his dad had been in a coma and his mother had lied about his death while being completely brutal to everyone.

In the middle were Ji Hoo and Yi Jeong. The former had lost his parents at a young age and didn't speak to his grandfather for fifteen years. He was the one who had experienced true loneliness. And Yi Jeong's parents had done nothing but fight over his father's womanizing. So Woo Bin had grown up normally and it's probably what made him so mature and strong.

"What did you want to talk about?" he asked as he cut his chicken.

"A man by Song Woo Ahn came by my place last night." She said it that way to watch his expression.

He stopped cutting his meat and sighed. "So he's found where Yi Jeong lives. Great." He looked up at her, sadness meeting her. "Did he say anything?"

"He asked where you lived. I heard he came by the hospital when Eri had surgery so I thought it was normal but Yi Jeong said he's been disinherited."

He nodded. "My dad disinherited him almost fifteen years ago. I was fourteen when it happened."

"Do you miss him?"

"I used to, but now I just feel sad for him. He wasn't the brother I had grown up with. Woo Ahn was always reserved but things worsened for him when he turned sixteen and entered high school. He became so much colder and more calculating. I'm sure when you told Yi Jeong this he said the same thing."

"Actually he hasn't said much about it. That's why I asked you. You were the one it concerned. He told me I needed to be careful about Woo Ahn."

Woo Bin's shoulders slumped. "You do, and I hate saying that. But Woo Ahn isn't the same as when I knew him. It's been fifteen years since he was cast out of the family though he still came around for family events. He's just not the same."

He reached over and took her hand. "I'm not trying to scare you, but I never know what my brother's thinking. He's as ever changing as the wind. I don't want you or any of my family to get hurt."

Being the most mature also meant he was the easiest to get hurt. Woo Bin didn't tell anyone when he was feeling out of sorts. He kept it all bottled up that none of them knew when he was hurting. Seeing his brother cast out of the family had hurt him, but seeing his family that he had chosen get hurt because of his blood hurt worse. He was trying to protect them even as he stabbed himself in the heart.

She squeezed his hand. "Woo Bin, promise me you'll talk to me if things get too stressful or too hard to handle. You have a baby and girlfriend to support so having all this poison hanging in your heart won't help. If you can't talk to Eri or Yi Jeong, come to me."

He gave her a grateful smile. "Thank you. I'll keep that in mind."

The rest of lunch passed without a word against their families or friends. They reconnected on a level they hadn't used in years, really since they had all gone their own ways after high school. He asked about her school and if she enjoyed teaching. She asked if he was enjoying working with his dad and whether or not he was planning to move his family to a bigger house. They just acted as friends.

Woo Bin paid for lunch and saw her to the bus. Yi Jeong had offered to get her a car, but it was easier to take the bus than sitting in a traffic jam. They said their goodbyes and Woo bin went back to work.

Since it was Saturday, Ga Eul didn't have anything to do. Yi Jeong was at the studio finishing up the pots and bowls for his new show and had been working nonstop. He hadn't wanted her to come because he had to focus. It was a good sign that he couldn't focus when she was around, so he had banned her from the studio for the time being. Jan Di and Jun Pyo were in Thailand on business, and Ji Hoo and Kyu Lee were in Jeju. It left Eri and Woo Bin available.

So she headed to the hospital. She got off at the bus stop a few blocks away and headed to the one place she knew she would get a good deal. Dragon Café had become a standard in their lives. It was a place they met when they just wanted to get a cup of coffee and chat without a care in the world.

"Ga Eul!" Hoon the owner greeted happily. He was a friend Eri's and Ji Hoo's and knew everyone's coffee order by heart. When they came in with a heavy heart, he served homemade pie.

She smiled as she stepped up to the counter. "Hello, Hoon. Can I get Eri's usual and a Mocha latte please? Add extra whipped cream to Eri's."

He smiled. "I know this, honey. Do you want something to go with it?"

"Two muffins would be nice."

Hoon fulfilled the order then leaned against the counter. "How is the baby?"

She shook her head. "I don't know. I'm on my way over now. I just had lunch with Woo Bin and he said he hadn't heard anything. No news is good news I guess."

"It's just hard to have your child in the hospital and not have anything to do. I know that from experience. Tell Eri I said I'm thinking of her."

"I'm sure she knows, but I'll relay it. Bye, Hoon."

She was lighthearted as she walked the rest of the way to the hospital. Even if they hadn't understood each other in the beginning, Eri had become a close friend to Ga Eul. She was different from the bright and exuberant woman. Distant and reserved, Eri took her time getting to know people.

At first she had been concerned that Yi Jeong was having an affair, but when she had walked in on them in the studio making a pot together, she understood that he had the means for Eri to express what she was feeling. As a doctor she had to be withdrawn from her patients, but that didn't overlap into her personal life. So Yi Jeong had opened his studio to her to give her a place to express herself. The studio was full of things they had made together and separately.

She took the elevator up to the fifth floor and stepped out with her happy gait. She stopped dead in her tracks as she saw Woo Ahn with Eri at the nurses' station and the woman looked pissed.


	3. Chapter 3

Eri had been minding her own business when Woo Ahn he stepped into her peripheral. She had asked who he was when he had come to the hospital after the baby was born, and Woo Bin had been completely honest. He had told her everything that had happened in the past and what it all had meant to him. He explained that something was wrong with his brother but he had refused to seek help.

She was all too aware with mental illness. Georges had been the same. When he had been sentenced, his lawyer had gotten him a lesser one by claiming insanity due to brainwashing. The French courts had asked if she wanted to pursue anything more since she had been the victim. She had looked at the man and said as long as he sought treatment she wouldn't do anything further. She had spared him the agony of jail, instead sending him to a mental institution for five years along with twelve years probation.

Bo Na, her ever present nurse, had been nervous when he showed up so stealthily. She had looked at Eri then shuffled to check on a patient to their left. Eri had stood up and rounded the desk.

"What do you want?" she asked. When she shut off her emotions, she became like ice. Nothing entered and nothing exited. She was how she had been a year ago.

"I came to see my nephew," he replied.

"You know full and well that Woo Bin doesn't want you anywhere near us."

A dangerous light appeared in his eyes when she said that. "So he's told you everything I see. You really shouldn't let that cloud your judgment of your brother-in-law."

"The only brothers I have are Francesco, Yoon Ji Hoo, So Yi Jeong and Goo Jun Pyo. Last time I checked you weren't included in that. I suggest you leave before I call security and have you escorted out."

They stared at each other for the longest moment, Eri's icy gaze meeting the dead one of Woo Ahn. She watched his body language. The hostility oozed off him. He was angry but she couldn't figure at whom. Was he angry at his parents for disowning him, angry at Woo Bin for having a family, or angry at himself for getting caught? She watched him clench and unclench his fist in rapid succession. He was capable of violence, just like Woo Bin. Where the younger Song brother was able to pull his punches, she was certain the older one wasn't that adept, and that made him dangerous.

The elevator dinged and the doors rambled open. To her right she saw Ga Eul step out and stop. Yi Jeong had obviously advised her about Woo Ahn since he had called the night before to tell them Woo Bin's brother had stopped by his place. She stayed where she was, wisely opting not to approach the hostile situation. Eri being a doctor had drugs on hand to take out any hostile person. She had done it to Georges a year ago and wasn't afraid to do it again. She and Bo Na kept sedatives at the ready just for those times.

"Shall I call for security?" Bo Na asked.

Eri shook her head. "I don't think that will be necessary. He won't want to cause a scene. It goes against his style. Isn't that right?"

Woo Ahn clenched his jaw so tightly white lines appeared around his mouth. She had guessed right. Since he had grown up as a member of Seoul's elite, he was accustomed to doing things with style and flair. Causing a scene wasn't his style so going after them where CCTV cameras would catch him was out of the picture. He would think up of something even more creative. This man was intelligent and would use those smarts to try to outwit them.

Huffing in anger, he turned and walked away. He stopped momentarily to look at Ga Eul. Taking a cue from her friend, she didn't back down, staring him in the face until he turned away first. He was used to dominance plays. If they could cause him to turn away first, he would have lost that dominance battle. As they planned, he turned away with a tsk and walked down the stairs.

"Ga Eul." She cringed at Eri's voice. It was iced over, as if she had trekked to a glacier and had her voice frozen there. Cautiously she walked over. "Bo Na, call Woo Bin and Yi Jeong. This situation is too dangerous for us to go out alone. I'm certain he knows the areas where the CCTVs don't cover. If we go out alone, he'll attack us."

Ga Eul realized she was using past experience to make her hypothesis. Eri had been attacked in an area where the CCTVs hadn't covered. It could have been worse than a cut face, bruised ribs and bruising if Woo Bin hadn't been walking by at the time. Since then she had been escorted to and from work by someone. Usually it was Ji Hoo considering they worked at the same hospital, but since he was on vacation, it was Woo Bin.

Bo Na called immediately and Ga Eul wasn't surprised that the men's phone numbers were on her speed dial. She sat down behind the desk and handed out the food she had bought. She gave her muffin to Bo Na because she was a little too shaken up to eat. But the other two women were used to stressful situations and inhaled their muffins.

It took some time for the men to get across town, but they were breathless as they ran onto the pediatric floor. By that time the women had calmed down and were talking easily about their plans for the rest of the weekend since both Bo Na and Eri were off on Sunday.

Yi Jeong and Woo Bin looked at each other as they held their girlfriends close. They hadn't expected Woo Ahn to be so forward right out of the gate. They had thought he would take his time in scoping the area, but then again they hadn't figured in Eri's pension for taking challenges head on. If she had angered Woo Ahn, which wasn't out of the question, she was going to be an even bigger target.

"What happened?" Woo Bin asked. "How did he find where you worked?"

"I was hospitalized here. He would put two and two together eventually," Eri said. "He tried to see Bin Ji but I blocked him as Bo Na went into his room. I'm not sure if he picked that up."

"He may have. Let's not underestimate him," Yi Jeong said. "Woo Bin, this is way too dangerous. I don't think we should be separated at this time. But the only house that is big enough to hold all of us it Jun Pyo's and he's gone for three more days. We can't wait that long."

"I'll call him." Woo Bin stepped away as he pulled out his phone.

Ga Eul touched Eri's hand. "Are you okay?"

She looked at her. "Something feels off but I can't figure out what it is."

"Trust those instincts," Yi Jeong nurtured. "You've done it so far and have come a long way since we first met you. Out of all of us, your instincts are truer to your nature."

Woo Bin returned a few seconds later. "Jun Pyo is flying home now. He said we could go ahead and move into his place. Ji Hoo said he and Kyu Lee will meet us there. When is Bin Ji able to be discharged?"

Bo Na looked at the charts since she was in charge of the baby's care. "His fever broke early this morning and he has taken a couple of bottles since then. I say after he poops, he can go."

"Give him a couple of hours," Eri muttered.

That broke the icy situation. Everyone laughed about the baby's ability to meet the worst standards. Eri went back to work, finishing up her rounds which took a couple of hours at least. Bin Ji started crying, and without permission, Woo Bin immediately went to get him. He was very cautious of his son as he adjusted the IV line in his tiny hand. But Bin Ji immediately quieted and went back to sleep.

"He's so much bigger than when we first saw him," Ga Eul mused.

"He's been eating better at home than when he was here. He likes being with his parents in a warm home than in a cold hospital," Yi Jeong answered.

They sat with Bo Na until Eri was finished. Bo Na processed the baby's release papers and the family was able to head home. Yi Jeong opened the passenger door for Ga Eul as Woo Bin saw his family into the backseat of a taxi. The yellow car followed the cab to Eri's building and they parked in the street. They all went upstairs to help pack what they would need when they stayed at Jun Pyo's.

The things a baby needed were more than what the parents needed. Bottles, formula, clothes, diapers, wipes, blankets, bibs, and many other things went into the diaper bag and what was left went into another bag. Woo Bin and Eri only had a couple of bags apiece while Bin Ji had three.

Woo Bin said he'd return later to get his car and took the taxi once again to Jun Pyo's. They wanted to get the baby settled before anyone did anything else. Yi Jeong had to return to his studio to put away the supplies he'd left sitting out and lock up so he said he'd swing by and pack clothes for him and Ga Eul. He didn't want her to go with him because he wasn't sure he would be able to protect her if Woo Ahn suddenly appeared.

Ga Eul sat with Eri in the guest room she and Woo Bin had been given. It was the biggest guest room they had. Jun Pyo had obviously called ahead because a crib and changing table had been moved into the room.

"What was going through your mind as you spoke to Woo Ahn?" she asked

Eri looked up at her. "I thought he was going to lash out, but his strength isn't in forward attacks. He lives for the hunt and art of surprise. He'll come at you when you least expect it. He lacks the skill to ask for what he wants so he just takes it."

"Are we really safe here?"

"I'm not sure. You know more about this side of the world than I do. I never had anyone try to take anything from me when I was growing up. Everyone thought I was too dumb to understand so they left me alone. Only when I came here did I understand that people were jealous and would do anything to get what they wanted. I don't get involved out of principle."

"But taking a backseat is just going to get us in trouble."

"Ga Eul, we're both new to this world. I grew up in it but was kept at an arm's distance because no one thought I would make it. You were normal and didn't have to worry about people getting revenge on you. It's not in me to back down from a fight, but I finally have a family who loves me enough to look after me. I want to protect that so if taking a backseat for the time being to assess the situation is what it takes that's what I'll do."

For someone who was so quiet you could hear a pin drop, Eri was very impactful with her words. She didn't speak often, so when she did they tended to listen. Looking down at that sleeping baby, Ga Eul realized where her strength came from. She had chosen them as family and family protected each other.

But something in Ga Eul wanted to reach out and touch Woo Ahn. She wanted to know what he was feeling and why he was behaving as he was. Was there more to the story than anyone had told? Or was he as cold hearted and calculating as they had told her? Something didn't add up and she wanted to get down to the bottom of it. But Woo Bin and the rest of F4 were going to hold her back. The only person she could trust was sitting right in front of her.

Eri would be the only person she could talk to if she continued thinking these thoughts. Eri would understand wanting to understand how a person was feeling. She was still in the process of understanding emotions so if Ga Eul started to understand what made Woo Ahn tick, Eri would naturally fall in line with her. But she had to get her attention before she could do anything and that was going to be the hard part. It took a lot to change her mind when she already had formed a notion about someone or something.

But Eri wasn't dumb nor was she blind. "Whatever you decide to do, you can always talk to me about it even if I don't like it."

Ga Eul realized she had been watching her the entire time. Not much passed the stoic gaze when she focused. She realized that she had an ally in all of this. Now she just had to figure out how to approach Woo Ahn.


	4. Chapter 4

**Author's Note:** Sorry it's taken so long to post this. I've had a bit of writer's block. It's been hard to process so I took a step back. Hopefully it will flow smoothly now.

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"You know they'll get mad at all of us if they find out we did this," Jan Di said as she and Ga Eul walked through the hotel lobby.

Ji Hoo and Kyu Lee had returned the same day as Jun Pyo and Jan Di. They had all met at Jun Pyo's and discussed what was going on. Jun Pyo had gotten angry instantly at the thought of Woo Ahn returning into his family's lives. He still remembered the day Woo Bin had beaten the hell out of him for what he did.

Ga Eul and Jan Di badgered the hell out of them to tell them what had happened. It had taken most of the night before Woo Bin had finally told them. He hadn't done it with a dry eye either. The pain his brother had caused him was still fresh in his memory, almost like it had happened yesterday. He pushed the tears that threatened to spill back, but that raw emotion was enough to make them all cough.

Eri and Kyu Lee had sat through it all and listened, making their own judgments about how things should actually be. They were having a silent conversation between themselves so it was hard to decipher the looks. They were getting way too good at that and it made their boyfriends nervous.

After spilling his guts, Woo Bin had escaped to his room with Bin Ji. Eri had disappeared to the kitchen, leaving the other three couples to figure something out. The guys were mad that Woo Ahn would suddenly come back and destroy his brother's newfound happiness. But after some thought, it suddenly made sense.

Woo Jun and Woo Bin had been working hard at expanding their business. With extra backing from the DeArgints, they had more money to make the newest fitness center they were working on even better. Woo Bin was set to be in charge of a new project if this one went well, and that meant he was going to get all the profits from it. It would pad his personal bank account and help him take care of his family. He would be like Jun Pyo and be one of the country's leading men.

Woo Ahn would be jealous. If he hadn't been disinherited, he would have been in the same position his brother was. He would have taken over right after college and would have risen through the ranks quickly. He wasn't as quirky as Woo Bin, but he was vastly intelligent. He could compute numbers almost as fast as a computer.

Was he trying to tear Woo Bin's family apart? Would he stoop that low as to hurt and mother and her child just out of spite? Would he hurt his brother like that? No one had the answers to that since thye hadn't seen him in years. They hadn't been around to see what he was like and how he treated people close to him.

So before they had gone to bed that night, Ga Eul, Jan Di and Kyu Lee had sat down and done some research using the name Soon Woo Ahn. His name had popped up immediately. First tabloids had posted about how he was doing after the lawsuit he had filed against his father. After that things had tapered down. After a lot of searching and light cursing at the screen, Kyu Lee had finally found out where he was living.

The next morning as the guys got ready for work, the women pretended to be involved in some serious talks about vacations. The guys had left and as soon as they were out of the house, the women jumped into action. Eri had watched them from the front entryway as they had piled into Kyu Lee's car and headed out. She was off and had decided to stay the innocent one of the three's manhunt, opting to stay home with her son so Jun Pyo's sister wouldn't take him over.

It had taken them nearly an hour to find where Woo Ahn was living. He lived on a side street full of company housing, but his apartment was in a different building. It looked more like a bungalow than anything else.

Kyu Lee took the lead and rang the doorbell to the apartment. Ga Eul and Jan Di grabbed hold of her arm. "What? You two weren't going to do it."

The door swung open at that moment. Woo Ahn stared at them, a huge frown creasing his brown and deepening the dimples he had inherited from his mother. He was not happy to see them.

Ga Eul stepped forward. "Woo Ahn, we've come to ask you something."

"If it's on behalf of Woo Bin then the answer is no. I don't want to have anything to do with him," he said as he started to pull the door closed.

Kyu Lee put her foot in the way. "I don't believe that for a second. You wouldn't have come back at the exact moment he started a family and was getting ready to pull in the account you were supposed to inherit. What's your plan?"

"We didn't come here to interrogate him," Jan Di reminded.

"Then what did you come here for?" he asked.

"We want to know if what the guys said is true, about you stealing Woo Bin's girlfriend when he was in middle school," Ga Eul continued.

He smirked then leaned against the door frame. Someone passing by might think it was a lazy stance, but the way he smiled at them told them it was far from it. He was planning something. It might have been a mistake to come

"What? Jin Jae? She was jealous that Woo Bin was seeing another girl instead of her. I just helped her out a little bit." There was no remorse in his voice. He was actually proud he'd done that. It was sickening. If he could do that to his brother's girlfriend then, what could he do now?

Jan Di's cell phone rang and she pulled it out quickly, gasping as she checked the caller ID. "Jun Pyo!"

They could hear him yell even thought she didn't have it on speaker phone. He wasn't happy. To their shock, Woo Ahn took the phone from her and hit a button. Jun Pyo's ranting could be heard through their silence.

"Are you finished, little brother?" he asked through the white noise.

"I'm not your little brother. You lost that right to call me that a long time ago," Jun Pyo seethed through the phone.

"You have a beautiful wife, little brother. It would be a shame for something to happen to her."

"You bastard! Don't you hurt her! If you lay a hand on her, I'll…" Woo Ahn hung up on him.

He tossed the phone back to its owner. "Tell my brother I'll be seeing him shortly." He stepped into his house and shut the door on them.

They were quiet as they drove back to their residence. They were going to get yelled at. Jun Pyo had called Ji Hoo and Yi Jeong to tell them their girlfriends had gone AWOL. They had been warned to stay away from him and yet they had gone in search of him. Not only that, but he had left them feeling as if he would retaliate for them searching for him.

Eri was at the door when they pulled. The three Lotuses were parked in front of the house as well as Ji Hoo's Mini Cooper. The men were home and were to be in a bad mood. By Eri meeting them, she was going to act as a buffer. By getting the information first, she would have the knowledge to combat the men. None of them would stand up to her for fear of breaking her. She was their greatest weapon at the moment.

Speaking as fast as they could, they told her everything they had seen and sensed. She listened as she led them to the sitting room the four men had preoccupied. She cast them a quick glance over her shoulder and they instinctively crowded behind her.

As soon as the doors opened, Jun Pyo was on his feet. Bracing her hands on either side of her, Eri blocked his drive to his wife. He stopped dead in his tracks. Going through that wall forcefully was going to start a fight. Wisely he backed down, returning to his seat.

"Where's the baby?" Kyu Lee asked. Ji Hoo stepped aside to show Bin Ji sitting on the floor between Woo Bin's legs. When he looked back at her, his face was a mask. "Oh, come off it. You would have done the same thing."

"No we wouldn't have," Yi Jeong snapped. "Eri, bring them in the room. We have to have a serious conversation about this stupidity that seems to plague the four of you." The strongest and yet the weakest member of their group crossed her arms in stubborn defiance. "Now is not the time to do this! What you've done is something we explicitly asked you not to do!"

Woo Bin kicked his ankle. "Yelling isn't going to help anything. You need to remember how she acted after Georges. Yelling won't make her talk. You said those words yourself." His voice was tired and strained, like he had been through the ringer in such a short amount of time. He looked up at them. "He didn't do anything to you did he?"

Ga Eul shook her head. "No, he just scared the crap out of us."

Yi Jeong sighed and nodded. "That's always been his first step. He scares you to the point where you always watch where you walk. Your guard is up so much it makes you jumpy, but the moment you put it down he strikes."

"Is that what happened to your ex?" Jan Di asked.

Woo Bin nodded tiredly. "Yeah. Ji Hoo had been having a hard time with Seo Hyun dating another guy so I went to hang out with him almost every night for a few weeks. Woo Ahn saw her in a coffee shop one night and convinced her I was cheating on her. By the time I got around to asking her why she was so hostile against me, it was too late. They were already working their way through their twisted relationship. She broke up with me shortly after that, but since she was seeing my brother, I saw the effects he had on her. It completely destroyed her."

"Where is she?" Eri asked.

"No," he snapped. She raised an eyebrow at him, agitation written in her eyes. "I don't want you talking to her. She's finally at peace from what Woo Ahn did to her."

"I think you're mistaken when I asked for your permission."

"Eri," Ji Hoo said, his voice quiet, "it's for the best that you leave her alone. Years of therapy finally eased her suffering. She's happily married with two children. Just let her live her life."

Eri looked at Kyu Lee. "Did you catch that?"

Kyu Lee nodded. "I sure did. They're the ones that paid for everything."

The men sat flabbergasted at their girlfriends. They had gotten them to speak about things they had long buried in the past in a matter of seconds. Not many people could do that, but these four were so ingrained in their systems that they could easily.

"I want to understand him," Ga Eul said boldly. "I want to know why he is the way he is and what made him this way. You were raised in the same household with the same parents. Why did he turn it a creep when you are a decent and sweet person? What's the difference? How can two brothers turn into two completely different people?"

"It's very easy when the parents give up due to the child's lack of talents," Yi Jeong said. Ga Eul looked at him. "It happened with my family. My brother wasn't as skilled a potter as I was and he was bypassed as the heir to the gallery and studio. Woo Ahn had no compassion so he was disinherited. Now that's not all that happened but that's all for now. Promise us you won't ever go in search for Woo Ahn again."

Ga Eul nodded and glanced around. She noticed Kyu Lee and Jan Di nodded along with her, but Eri was staring at Woo Bin. There was no anger or sadness, but something was stirring in her eyes.

Yi Jeong strode forward and took Ga Eul's hand. He looked at her briefly before he led her from the sitting room. She pulled at her hand and succeeded in taking his. Yi Jeong smiled as he kept going forward. He was upset so he shouldn't let her see him happy over something so simple. He opened the door to their room and walked inside, dropping his hand as soon as he passed the threshold.

"I know you're angry," she started but he waved his hand to stop her.

"I'm not angry. I'm nervous. It won't take him long to figure out we're all here together. If he wants to get in, he will. He'll do it right under the noses of the staff and not think twice about it. As much as I'm sad I lost my brother, I feel worse for Woo Bin," he said. "Like you said, how can someone who was raised with the same parents as his younger brother turn out like that?"

"I want to know that too."

"But you can't go after him? It will only incite him to attack us all. Woo Bin's already dealt with that loss once. He won't be able to do it again. And I won't be able to stand losing you." He crowded her suddenly, his hands going to her face. "I fought myself over and over and over again about you. It took me five years to admit it and to think that I could lose you frustrates and angers me."

He had never been this open about his feelings before. She had known he cared for her but not to the point that he couldn't her live without her. Before she could stop herself, she pulled herself up and kissed him. His immediate reaction was to wrap his arms around her back and deepen it. No one saw them the rest of the night.


	5. Chapter 5

**Author's Note** : As I slave over a hot keyboard for you wonderful people, I keep wondering why you guys love these stories. So next time you comment, give me a little sneak peek as to why. Your comments make me happy, but I want to know why these stories have made you happy.

And to answer the question as to Soon vs. Song…. It's another typo… I get an idea in my head and I type so fast, I make mistakes. Thanks for catching it.

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Yi Jeong spread a drop cloth on the floor under the wooden board he had leaning against the table. Balloons were stapled to the board in random intervals. He had picked colored balloons because he didn't want to know what color paint was in them.

He was trying a new thing that didn't involve pottery. He wanted to see if he could do something worthwhile that wad out of his realm. So he had purchased a lot of water based paint, balloons and darts. He'd had the board and drop cloth at the studio but unfortunately he had to buy the staples.

Everything was situated. The tables were pushed up against the wall so he would have enough space to make his mess. The drop cloth was spread out four feet from the board so he wouldn't get paint all over his floor. He had already changed his clothes and was ready to start firing darts at the board. All that was left was to turn on music.

He had just flipped the power button to the stereo when the door to his studio opened. He watched Eri walk in. They stared at each other for a moment before Eri put her phone down and walked to his storeroom. She returned in one of his old t-shirts, a pair of sweats and no shoes. Without even asking, she took a dart from him and fired it at the board. It hit a blue balloon, and green paint exploded then ran down the other balloons and board.

They spent several hours doing that while the music pulsed around them. Paint covered them from head to toe even thought they were several feet away. They were now rainbow haired and not even ashamed about it. Yi Jeong didn't have a shower on hand so they were going to have to go out in public like that. It looked like a five year old had exploded all over them. Their noses, cheeks, ears, lips and chins were covered, but it was their hands and feet that had taken the abuse.

Somewhere around the halfway point as a red balloon burst open with purple pain, Yi Jeong realized two things. One, Eri was actually singing along to the songs playing on his stereo, and two, she was way too quiet. She let another dart fly right into a green balloon with red paint. Eri was never quiet in the studio unless she was deep in thought or running away from something she couldn't figure out.

He watched her stride forward and pull the darts from the bored. She scratched at her nose and succeeded in smearing orange paint under it. He laughed then took half of them from her.

They continued until every balloon was popped. Paint dripped and swirled down the board in an abnormal fashion. Yi Jeong washed his hands then went to his fridge in the storeroom and grabbed drinks. He sat down beside Eri and stared at the board as the music changed to something slow and melodic. She put her head in his lap, something he was so used to by this point.

He felt at ease sitting in a spot he had inhabited for years. This time it was filled with bright color instead of dull fired clay.

"That's how I feel," Eri said suddenly. He looked down at her. Her eyes blinked steadily as she looked at their mess. "When I first started learning about how to feel, I started classifying them in colors. Green for envy, black for sorrow, purple for happiness, red for rage, so on and so forth. I would feel each one separately, as if they were meant to be separate. But right now staring at that dripping, wet mess, I realize that emotions weren't meant to be singular. They mix and meld together like that paint to make us a different work of art."

He smiled even though she couldn't see it. "You've really grown over the last ten months, Eri. You've made Woo Bin extremely happy. You've given him a loving partner and a beautiful son. Have you thought of getting married any time soon? It's coming upon a year since you've been here."

It was October. She had met them in the end of November and early December the year before. She and Woo Bin had officially started dating in February, and then Bin Ji was born in late June, six weeks shy of his August due date. During that time frame so much had happened and everyone had grown, but Eri had grown the most.

She shook her head against his thigh. "Not really. I know we can't register Bin Ji until we do, but I'm not pushing him."

"And he's not pushing you."

"Yi Jeong."

"Hmmm?"

"Did Woo Ahn beat Woo Bin when they were kids?"

Yi Jeong closed his eyes as the past assaulted him. No one had said anything, but ever perceptive, Eri had picked right up on it.

They hadn't spoke of it in years, especially after Woo Ahn had used Woo Bin's ex. Their parents hadn't known for years because Woo Bin hadn't spoken about it. What kid could say that his older brother beat the hell out of him every time he got angry? No one would believe him. Woo Bin was the younger son. He wasn't supposed to inherit anything.

"How did you figure it out?" he asked.

"An abused child can always tell when he or she is around another." She turned onto her back and looked up at him. "He kept rubbing his forearm when he was talking. The only reason someone would do that is if he or she was feeling phantom pains from a previous experience. Like this one."

In the past he would have considered her running her hand under her breasts a sexual act, but he knew what lingered under the blue cotton. A long white scar stretched itself from one side of her ribcage to the other. She didn't speak of it because it didn't bother her, but from what she just said, it must hurt from time to time.

"Did you know the girls were going to see Woo Ahn yesterday?" he asked even though he already knew the answer. She nodded as she blinked, and he sighed. "At least you knew not to lie to us."

"I could have, but that would have broken the trust we've all built. I don't want to lose that." It was way too important to her. She gripped his bicep to gain his attention. "How long did his abuse last?"

"Woo Ahn beat him on a weekly basis from the time he was eight until he got into high school. Woo Bin outgrew him by a few inches and he put on muscle when he started training in Judo and tae kwon do. Woo Bin laid him out one day, and Woo Ahn never touched him again."

"Instead he got Woo Bin's ex-girlfriend pregnant and refused to take responsibility."

Once again Yi Jeong was impressed with her reasoning skills. It would take everyone else weeks to put everything together where she had done it in a matter of days.

"Eri, I was serious last time when I said I don't want you going after him," he reiterated.

She sighed and sat up, folding her feet underneath her so she could open her drink. "Relax, Yi, Woo Ahn won't come after me. He'll never directly attack me because he's already done that once. Why attack the woman his brother is madly in love with when he can do something even more creative?"

"What?" He was slightly dumbfounded. "What are you saying?"

"Why do you think I'm not afraid to go to work, be at the house by myself, or go out alone? He's not going to attack me or Bin Ji. I've already stood up to him at the hospital. He knows I'm not afraid of him. That's how I know I'm not his target."

"Because you're bold and not afraid to talk down to him?"

"That, and I always carry a sedative packed with me right where I can reach it."

That was always dangerous. Doctors were good when you needed them, but dangerous when left to their own devices.

But there was something about what she had just said that wasn't wrong. When Woo Bin had stood up to him, Woo Ahn hadn't bothered him again. Instead he had changed tactics and went after someone close to him.

"The girls made a big mistake going after him yesterday," he muttered.

"Not necessarily. Woo Ahn is smart, you've said so yourself. He wants to know his enemy. He wants to know how to break them. He knows that we're all together now. It makes it easier for him to pick his target, but what he doesn't know is that each of us has our own special tactic. I have already stood up to him, so I'm safe. He knows not to come after me. I'm certain he knows not to go after Kyu Lee. She told me she put her foot in his door, a something so dominant it's hard to miss."

"That leaves Jan Di and Ga Eul."

"Jun Pyo has the power and the ability to destroy him. He won't go after her."

Cold terror flooded his system. By a process of elimination they had just said that Ga Eul would be Woo Ahn's target. He wanted to ask why she would tell him that, but Eri couldn't lie and he needed all the information he could get to protect his family.

Eri continued, "We've already decided that he will go after his target when she is alone, or when there aren't any CCTVs around. It's unrealistic to keep someone with her at all times because she works at a school. Any personal guard would have to do an extensive background check."

"Then how do we keep her safe?"

"I haven't figured that out yet. I keep repeating the man she takes in my head. The only logical thing is the bus, but there are so many things that could be the wrong thing. I don't want to be wrong and you hate me for it."

He realized the only reason she had told him any of this was because she wanted him to be prepared. It was one thing to have no knowledge but it was something completely different to know ahead of time. If anyone else had come to this conclusion he would have laughed in their faces, but since it was Eri, he knew it was true.

"How did Georges get you?" It was the only attack he could relate to this situation.

"He came at me from behind. He wrapped his hands around my waist and mouth and yanked me into an alley." She hopped up, extending her hand. "But I'll show you what Francesco showed me." Timidly he stood. "Mimic what I just said Georges did, but you got to promise me you won't yell at me if I hurt you."

"I won't yell."

She didn't believe him but there was nothing he could do about it. He was going to yell if she hurt him. He just hoped it wasn't his hand. He'd already had that happen once and didn't wish to go through that pain again.

So he did as she said, and he wasn't gentle about it. He wrapped his hands around her mouth and waist and pressed his front into her back. They were the same height so they were evenly matched.

Or so he thought. Eri stepped back ever so slightly and turned her right shoulder into his. At the same time she grabbed the material of his pants and twisted into the opposite direction. She grabbed his wrist as she threw all her weight into her hip. His feet left the floor as he flew over her shoulder and landed right on his back. She stepped over him and gently put her foot on his left wrist as she twisted his right hand.

Pain exploded for a split second until she let go and stepped back. He sat up immediately afraid of the further torture she would put him through if he continued to lay there.

"There's more to it, but you'd die…" She filtered off with a cute little pout.

"I don't want to know the rest. Maybe I should get Woo Bin to teach her some more. She could kill him," he argued as he stood up.

"The point is to get away."

"I know, but Ga Eul would take it too far and kill him." He looked at the board. "That's going to take a while to dry. Why don't we go get something to eat?"

Eri raised her eyebrow. "Looking like this?"

"All you have to do is change your clothes and wash your hands. No one will expect it to be paint."

He waited on her to change back into her own clothing then he changed. He shut out the lights and they walked out together. He turned to lock the door and felt Eri grab his hand roughly. She never did that unless something was wrong. He whipped around to find Woo Ahn standing in front of his door.

"Sorry, we're heading home for the night," he told with a force he didn't feel.

Woo Ahn waved his hand as if waving away his insinuation, a cold smile crossing his face. "I'm not here to see you anyway. I wondered who your lovely companion was. Now that I know, I'll be on my way."

As he turned away, Eri's hand dropped from Yi Jeong's and snaked out to grab Woo Ahn. When he turned around to look at her, she met his gaze and Yi Jeong could swear he saw sparks fly. These two were way too much alike but on opposite ends of the spectrum

"Come near my family, and I promise you that you will never see daylight again," she warned. There was no heat behind those words. They were pure ice. They were so cold Yi Jeong though the ground was going to be slick when he walked.

"This coming from a woman who can't hear," Woo Ahn retorted immediately.

"I can hear just fine when it comes to this." Her hand slapped the man on the chest, right above his heart. "You may resemble Woo Bin, but you're nothing like him. He at least has a heart. You're just the Tin Man."

She was baiting him. That was the best thing about Eri. As soon as her emotions were shut down, she was able to draw out anyone else's. She had done it with Yi Jeong, Kyu Lee, and Woo Bin. The only one immune had been Ji Hoo and no one was quite sure why.

Woo Ahn stepped into the bait without even realizing it. He stepped into Eri's personal space, keeping her hand captive between them. He looked directly at Yi Jeong who was grounded to the spot.

"You're a brave one. I can see why my brother likes you. But I'd rather be the Tin Man than the Cowardly Lion, Dorothy," he scowled in her ear.

Eri turned her face ever so slightly. "They say lions are the kings of their pride, but it's the lioness that does all the hunting. You're neither lion nor lioness. So what are you?"

"I'm a scavenger."

"That's awesome. Scavengers always get sloppy seconds."

Woo Ahn stepped back with a smile on his face. "You're a piece of work. Sharp tongue and body. No wonder he lets you fight his battles."

"I don't fight his battles. I win his wars. And there's no way you will ever beat him. He's got the backing of two families that mean more to him than his past with you."

Yi Jeong couldn't believe the words that were rolling off her tongue. With everything she said, Woo Ahn became even more agitated. He wanted to hit her but knew that if he did, his brother would come after him. He couldn't beat Woo Bin in a physical fit. He couldn't beat Eri in a mental fight. He was left with emotions, but the one in front of him had locked them away once again. He was going to have to figure something else out.

With a wave of his hand, Woo Ahn strode down the street. Yi Jeong caught Eri as her knees buckled. It seemed like dinner was out of the question now.


	6. Chapter 6

"Have you lost your mind?!" Ji Hoo demanded as they sat around the breakfast table the next morning.

Everyone stopped eating and stared at the quiet man. To hear him yell was something out of the ordinary. But everyone knew who he was yelling at. Yi Jeong and Eri had returned to the mansion the night before covered in paint. Everyone couldn't help but laugh at them until they realized something had been really wrong. Eri hadn't said anything as she walked to her room to shower.

After he was clean, the Jun Pyo and Ji Hoo had cornered Yi Jeong and asked what had happened. He hadn't had a choice but to come clean with all of it. Ji Hoo had wanted to get onto her right from the beginning but Yi Jeong had warned him that she was probably already in bed with Woo Bin. That hadn't been a fight they had wanted.

So they had left their battle for this morning. Ji Hoo had let his anger fester all night. Normally he would let it all brush off his shoulders, but he had spent a year working on that woman's emotions.

Eri dropped her chopsticks and leaned back from the table. She licked her teeth, a habit she had before she lost her temper. "No, I haven't lost my mind. Keep yelling at me and I might. Then I really will become the Scarecrow."

Yi Jeong held back the laugh that threatened to bubble up. It was a flashback to the conversation she'd had with Woo Ahn the night before where she had basically insulted him.

"What?" Jan Di asked.

Woo Bin caught on immediately. "Please tell me you didn't insult Woo Ahn by using characters from _The Wizard of Oz_."

"Oh, no, she did so much better, but I'm pretty sure what she said would insult you so I shan't repeat it," Yi Jeong said. Eri gave him a 'what the hell' look for using the word shan't. She nodded her head towards Ji Hoo. "She may be a little nuts," she glared at him for that, "but she figured out which one of us will be Woo Ahn's target."

Ji Hoo wasn't convinced. "How? None of us have been able to figure out what the hell the man is up to."

"You have to turn off your emotions," Woo Bin finally guessed. "You have to be able to think like an emotionless person to be able to figure out what he is thinking and planning."

Even Yi Jeong hadn't realized that. The reason Eri was the only one able to go toe to toe with Woo Ahn wasn't because she lacked the common sense to stand down, but because she already knew what he was thinking. She had known from the very beginning that he was heartless and cunning. She also knew that standing up to him wasn't going to work for everyone, and that being the closest person to Woo Bin she had certain rights she could stand on. She knew that if they did it, Woo Ahn would attack them physically. By starting a mental war, she had given them time to come up with something.

Physically Woo Bin could take his brother. He didn't want to get within a mile of him if he could help it, but if Woo Ahn came at him, he would wipe the floor with him again. Or if he touched one of the girls. Touching them was completely out of the question. It had been why he was so tense when Woo Ahn had stepped so close to Eri last night. She was the one person other than Ga Eul he would probably kill for.

With mentally and physically taken care of, that left one thing. Emotions. Emotionally Woo Ahn was gone. His eyes were dead. It was like his soul had been closed off from the rest of his body and his mind had been the only thing working. Without the combination of head and heart, it was nearly impossible to maintain the body.

Yi Jeong looked around the table. For the men, Jun Pyo was spirit or heart. He was a combination that made everyone unique and powerful. Woo Bin was strength. He had been brought up in the mafia and trained to fight like one. Yi Jeong was heart as he used his pottery to show how he was feeling. Ji Hoo was mind. His common sense and ability to sort things out were what made him highly intelligent.

For the women, Jan Di was spirit. Even though they sometimes thought she wasn't as bright as she seemed, she made up for it by doing everything to the best of her ability. It's what made her a good partner for Jun Pyo. Kyu Lee was strength. She balanced Ji Hoo in the fact that she could use her strength to hold both of them if it was needed of her. Eri was mind. Her stoicism masked her quick wit and processing abilities. It made her well matched for Woo Bin in that she would always know what was wrong with him.

As he ticked down everyone's specialties, he was accosted with something he had never thought about before. Everyone had been matched based on their strengths and weaknesses - Ji Hoo's mind with Kyu Lee's strength; Jun Pyo's and Jan Di's spirits; and Woo Bin's strength with Eri's mind. That left his emotions matched with…

Shaken, he looked at Eri. She was watching him with that same knowing gaze. She had already figured that all out. While they were arguing over what they should do, she was seeing the bigger picture. That was how they were matched with everyone's strengths and weaknesses. She had figured out all of that and probably some more. It's the reason she hadn't objected to the girls going to find Woo Ahn or to telling them where they had gone. She had wanted to see if they could figure it out.

"It makes sense," he muttered. He was aware everyone was looking at him but he looked back at Eri. "How long have you known?"

"For a while? Ever since he came to the hospital," she responded then took a sip of coffee. "I wanted to confirm it for myself, but you guys are so stubborn. Luckily Charlie's Angels went full blast into it. Hearing the story gave me everything I needed to know."

Woo Bin leaned forward. "Would the two of you please quit talking in riddles and speak clearly for the rest of us to understand?"

"You said it yourself," he said. "One of us has to think emotionlessly. In other words we have to use our minds. A person is in perfect harmony when the mind, body, heart and spirit are one. Shutting one down means shutting off a part of you. Everyone has their strengths. Some people are mentally strong, some physically, and so on and so forth. It's finding the balance that makes a person strong all the way around."

He looked at Eri. "It's taken me until now to understand that. Woo Ahn is physically, mentally, and spiritually strong, but he lacks emotions. Woo Bin can combat him physically. He's stronger, faster and leaner than his brother. Eri can take him on mentally. Her quit wit and strong presence intimidates him. Jun Pyo's tenacity will make it hard for him to run if he gets caught."

"That leaves the emotions to combat," Eri explained. "We have to get him to give off an emotional outburst. I have already decided that he's a Vulcan and the only way to get a Vulcan to express an emotional response is to insult them."

Woo Bin dropped his hand from his mouth as his face contorted into a look of confusion. "Do you hear the crap you spew, or do you just live in a land where cultural references are the only thing you know?"

"It makes sense," Ji Hoo agreed. "There are few people who had total peace within themselves. They're rarely in harmony. Most of the time three of the four are synchronize while the person doesn't understand what to do with the fourth."

"You mentioned that Woo Ahn possessed three of the four," Jan Di said. "What is he lacking?"

"His emotions," Eri said. They were all suddenly restless. "Stop it. Just because I can understand him and think like he does doesn't mean I'm going to act like him. You should know me better than that."

"You've already figured this out haven't you?" Ji Hoo asked. His anger was suddenly gone and he looked tired.

"What's the missing piece?" Ga Eul wondered aloud. Something had been off about the entire thing. How were they supposed to figure this out?

"Ga Eul?" She looked up at Eri as she called her name. "You're the missing piece. Of us women, you're the only one he can openly go against and not have anything happen to him. I piss him off because I can go toe to toe with him mentally. He wouldn't touch Kyu Lee because there's a strong possibility she can kick his ass. Jan Di has too much spirit to attack, and plus Jun Pyo will destroy him. That leaves you. Well, you and Yi Jeong. He can't combat your emotions because he's buried his."

Ga Eul panicked. "What are you saying?"

"Eri is fighting him mentally. She's setting him up to break down that emotional barrier so someone can get in there and figure out what pissed him off so badly he attacked his brother," Ji Hoo explained. He looked at Woo Bin then. "There was some other reason for him to attack you as he did. It had to start when he was in middle school. If we can weasel that out of him, we may have chance of getting rid of him."

Woo Bin didn't agree. He shook his head. "No, you can't do this. You can't bait him. I know Woo Ahn. He won't sit still until he retaliates."

Eri took her man's hand and held it between both of hers. "Look at me." She waited until he looked her in the eyes. "Do you remember when we met? I wasn't paying attention to anything or anyone. I was lost in a daze all the time. I never knew what it meant to feel happiness, sadness, anger, pain, jealousy. I never understood any of that. The main difference is your brother knows those emotions; he just chose to hide them. I'm learning to express them, but he expresses them through pain."

She grabbed him in the same place she had grabbed his brother the night before. "The difference between the two of you is this right here. This heart beats for the people around this table and the baby boy down the hall. It would never betray, lie, cheat, steal or hurt those which it loves."

Yi Jeong looked at Ga Eul. She was so engrossed in the other woman's assessment of Woo Bin that she hadn't schooled her expression, not that she did it anyway. He could understand why she was the best one to figure out Woo Ahn, but it was dangerous. He had already proved to them that he was a stalker. What would he do if she went to him of her own volition?

"I don't think it's a good idea to get her involved," Ji Hoo said. "Like you said earlier, there's no guarantee that he won't hurt her."

"Eri, have you figured that in to your calculations yet?" Yi Jeong asked.

"Not yet. There's just one thing I haven't figured out. If he's cut off from the family money, what does he do to get the money?"

That was a very good question. Woo Bin had said that he had been cut off during college. That meant all the money he was to receive for tuition went down the drain. He had to have made perfect grades to have school paid for. From what they said, he was wicked smart and could do anything he put his mind to.

"We should probably find that out first. It would make it easy to turn the tides on him," Jan Di said.

Woo Bin shook his head. "I really don't think this is a good idea."

Yi Jeong frowned at his friend. He had never been like this before. He was always up for something new. What was he hiding that he didn't want found?

The potter looked at Eri. The instant her eyes met his, he knew she knew something was else was going on.


	7. Chapter 7

**Author's Note:** I want to start out by bragging just a bit. Every fandom – and I'm part of quite a bit of them – states that they're the best fandom. But I can honestly say that KPop has the best fandom in the world. I am an aspiring novelist that started right here, but lately I haven't felt like writing. I get that way when I'm stressed. But as soon as I started writing stories for Boys Before Flowers, something I had just taken to, you guys started to respond. It's really made me happy, so much so that can spend hours researching to make sure everything is correct. I just wanted to say thanks.

Now to the realest reason ever. There are only three more chapters after this. If you have ideas for a new story, let me know. Give me ideas. As long as it's not Jun Pyo and Jan Di since we've seen their story on the screen, I will see what comes to mind and write.

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Ga Eul took a deep breath as she stepped off the bus. She wasn't supposed to be doing this. She was supposed to be calling Woo Bin or Ji Hoo or someone to come get her. She wasn't supposed to be alone, and she definitely wasn't supposed to be going to see the one man they were all trying to avoid and get rid of.

She had made the decision somewhere along the course of the last week. After she had been told that she was the only one Woo Ahn would go after her, she had resolved herself to the fact that she was going to have to do something on her on. She wasn't going to be able to tell her family that she was about to do something completely dangerous. They would lock her in the house and never let her out.

So she had left after work that next day, determined to figure out what made Woo Ahn tick. She was going to get in trouble with everyone but once they understand why she did it, they should give her a slight reprieve.

She was scared; she was an idiot not to be scared. Woo Bin was afraid of his brother if no one explicitly said it. He didn't want them going anywhere near him because he was capable of violence. Everything he did was for a reason, and that reason was to cause his family pain. But she knew there was an underlying reason why he would be so cruel.

After stealing herself for what was going to come next, she took the first step towards his house. This area was something like the one she and Jan Di had grown up in. It was the perfect hiding spot because no on one was going to look for him there. There was no reason for them to, not when they lived in the best part of town.

She remembered the exact place. A small bungalow type house on the corner. She wasn't sure the address but she remembered the place. As soon as she realized how easy it was going to be, she knew it was going to be ten times harder.

Facing the door, it took all the courage she had to raise her had to knock. She knew this was going to be worse for all of them if she didn't get to the bottom of this soon. Woo Bin would lose his mind as he worried who would be the first one to fall under his brother's narcissism.

She waited for a few moments until the door opened. Woo Ahn was disheveled and half dressed. She must have caught him when he was asleep. It was still early. Didn't he work during the day? The smile he gave her wasn't treacherous or mean, just a little sleepy.

"Where are your lackeys?" he asked as he leaned against the doorjamb just the way he had a week ago.

"At work probably," she replied.

"So no one knows you're here?"

"One person so don't try anything too funny."

He wiped at his mouth as he smirked. "You came to my house remember?"

She had and she was bluffing. No one knew where she was. If she had told him that though, he would have used it against her. She needed to keep that as quiet as she could. That's why her phone was on silent. That was dangerous enough, but she needed answers.

Woo Ahn shoved off the door and motioned her in. Wary, she took one step inside. She watched him walk about the surprisingly tidy room as she stood by the door. He grabbed a shirt and pulled it over his head as he walked to his kitchen. He turned on the burner and set the kettle on to boil.

She realized how much he really looked like Woo Bin. Their hair was the same length, cropped short and styled high. He had the same cheekbones, broad flattened nose, thick lower lip, and slight bagginess under his eyes. He was Eri's height, so that put him at about five feet eight. That was two inches shorter than his younger brother, but their build was the same; broad shoulders that tapered down into a firm waist and slim hips. Woo Bin was slightly bulkier in the arms though.

He was suddenly in front of her holding out a nondescript white mug. She took it and fully stepped into the room. Once again he turned his back on her, going to the couch and sitting down. She didn't want to get too close to him but didn't have any other way to talk to him if she didn't. So she took the only available space closest to the door.

"Why are you here?" he asked, shocking her so badly she jumped.

The tea sloshed all over her, burning just a bit as the remaining heat seeped through her clothes. "I came to ask you something."

"Then ask. I have to go to work."

Ga Eul licked her lips nervously. She didn't know how to broach the question. It was right there, but she couldn't get it past her lips to ask.

"If you're here about my brother, you should just leave. Woo Bin would never allow you to know."

That set everything in her on high alert. He already knew why she was there. She wanted to know what had happened to Woo Bin. She wanted to know what had made him wary of his brother. What did his brother do that made it nearly impossible for him to face his brother?

"I'm assuming you already know about the woman I stole from him, so I might as well tell you the rest." He leaned forward, his knee brushing hers. "What happened to Woo Bin to make him withdraw every time he thinks of me? Hmmm… I wonder? Was it the beatings? No, that couldn't be it. He kicked my ass as soon as he was big enough. Could it be the girl I stole from him? Nah, that's not it either. He's not that petty. Maybe…"

Ga Eul shrank back at the cold light that suddenly appeared in his eyes. It had all been a ruse. He had faked being nonchalant to get her to come in. He had known she would come alone.

Woo Ahn leaned forward and braced both hands against the chair. It boxed her in and made her nervous. He watched her panic.

"Maybe it was the way I forced him to watch as I took that girl over and over and over again." As he spoke, he enunciated each word by leaning closer and closer until he could whisper in her ear. "Imagine being chained against a wall as your brother continually claims his prize, the one thing that used to belong to you. Imagine being helpless as she calls to you over and over and over again to save her, to free her from that hell? Can you see it?"

Unfortunately she could. She could see fourteen year old Woo Bin chained to a wall, helpless and crying for his brother to stop. Begging and hoping he would stop. Demanding that instead of using the girl that he would beat him instead. Kind and honest Woo Bin had begged for the safety of the girl to no avail.

"But that wasn't all. Can you guess what I did next? It was the most fun I had ever had, watching both my brother and the wretch cry as they were together."

Ga Eul had been sadly mistaken coming to him. There was no remorse in anything he said. He had taken great pride in abusing his brother and the unnamed girl, going so far as to have them sleep together while he brutally assaulted them. She understood why Woo Bin had cut all ties with him.

She had to leave. Throwing the contents of the mug in his face she kicked at his knees. When a free space opened up, she darted through. But Woo Ahn was faster. He grabbed her ankle and pulled her down to the floor. There was nothing she could do. He was so much bigger and stronger than she was. He pinned her arms with one hand and trapped her legs with both of his. She was completely at his mercy.

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Yi Jeong was panicking. He had gone to pick Ga Eul up from work and she hadn't been there. Her colleagues said she had left early since it had been a half day. She hadn't said where she was going, just that she was leaving and would see them the next day.

He had tried calling her cell phone. It had rang and rang and rang. She had never ignored him in the past so he knew she wasn't ignoring him now. Something had happened. He didn't know how he knew, but something had happened. She wouldn't have left without telling someone where she was going.

He had stormed into the house as everyone was getting off work and returning. Bin Ji had been excited to his dad and had been bouncing happily in Woo Bin's lap when he had tossed the doors to the sitting room open. He had been visibly shaken. And that was when his world had come crumbling down.

Woo Bin's phone dinged with a message. Not thinking anything of it, he pulled it out and slid it open. Clicking on the new message, his calm exterior turned terrified as screams penetrated the quiet room. He immediately turned the sound down as to not to scare Bin Ji, but the damage had been done. Everyone had heard.

Eri was the first to react. She snagged Woo Bin's phone, walked over to Kyu Lee and shoved the screen in her face. "Where is he?"

Kyu Lee was as shaken as Woo Bin. She stared at the screen, stared at the woman everyone had sought to protect. She looked up at Eri with such pain she couldn't speak. She shook her head, her mouth moving like a fish. She stared at her new friend as numbness coursed through her.

But Eri was far from numb. She had seen this before, had been a firsthand spectator to what brutality could be unleashed. She understood what was happening and the effects that would last if they didn't do something.

Grabbing Kyu Lee by the front of her shirt, she walked the woman until she hit the wall. "Tell me where he is!"

It was at that moment that the pristine glass wall shattered. Eri – kind, gentle, beautiful Eri- unleashed every emotion that had been hidden behind that wall for twenty-one years. The hand that held on to Kyu Lee shook, but they noticed that her entire body shook with the force of her emotions. She liked Ga Eul and felt responsible for this.

Cursing in French, she turned on Woo Bin. It wasn't a hostile turn, but she was fed up with this silence. "You have one chance to tell me what the hell happened between you and your brother. I won't ask again, but I also won't sit still anymore. I promised you I wouldn't interfere, but you also promised me that no one would get hurt. Now tell me what happened."

The remaining members of F4 looked around. What did she mean what happened? She knew what had happened. She knew Woo Ahn had beaten and used Woo Bin and his girlfriend. She knew he had played mind games with his brother for years before Woo Bin had retaliated. What more was there?

"Woo Bin!"

Bin Ji immediately started crying. He had never heard his mother yell. No one had. For a muted voice, she had enough power behind it to make an impact. But she had always been that way. By not saying much and soaking everything in, she had better insight than all of them.

Woo Bin stared at her, surprise washing over him as he saw angry tears falling down her face. She knew. She had always known and yet she had stayed quiet for his sake. She hadn't wanted to hurt him, but in the process of not hurting him, he had hurt her and that stung worse.

"Do you remember the days when I didn't show up to class? When you couldn't get in contact with me?" he asked. His eyes never left his woman's face.

"Yeah, but you said you never wanted to talk about it," Ji Hoo said.

"I wasn't at home with a cold. I was chained in the soundproof room with Woo Ahn and Ha Jin." Tears shimmered in his eyes and threatened to spill. He refused to look at his friends, too afraid to see his pain mirrored in their eyes. "He clobbered me and dragged me down there. When I awoke, he had Ha Jin tied in the middle of the room. He made me watch as he…"

And still he refused to look at his family. "But that wasn't the worst. When he was done, he forced me to do it. If I refused, he'd smack the back of my legs with a cane pole until I couldn't feel them."

"And the reason you paid for everything was because you felt guilty," Eri said. "Bin, it's not your fault. You are not the one who hurt her. Now give me your phone."

"Eri, what are you going to do?" Ji Hoo asked.

"Something I should have done a long time ago. Kyu Lee, give me his address."

Yi Jeong sat down beside Woo Bin and pulled him into a hug. Woo Bin didn't cry. He yelled, he screamed, he cursed, and he hit, but he didn't cry. Seeing him torn up over something from his past, something that had had a profound effect on him, made them realize that they had no idea of Woo Bin's internal strength.

Eri returned to their side. Carefully she plucked Bin Ji from Woo Bin's hands and handed him over to Yi Jeong. "I need you to drive. We're going to make this right. You've done enough punishing yourself."

"What did you do?" Jan Di asked.

"I called in a favor of his contacts in the mafia. He won't owe them. I will. It seems that they already knew the things Woo Bin has gone through. Woo Bin, let's go." He didn't respond. She stood, her hand trailing from his. "All right. I'll solve this for you, but I will lose all respect for you."

Yi Jeong watched as she pulled her hearing aids from her ears and left them on the table. She turned and walked out of the house, cold and confident as ever. He looked at his friend.

"Stop her. She's just going to get hurt," he pleaded. Woo Bin simply stared at the wooden table.

Ji Hoo stepped up and slugged his friend across the face. Bin Ji started crying, burying his face in Yi Jeong's neck. "That woman has given up everything for you. Now you're just going to sit here while she goes after your brother? Then you're not the man I thought you were."


	8. Chapter 8

Ga Eul was aware that someone else was in the house, but she was so disoriented she didn't know where he or she was. Woo Ahn had been relentless in his attack, doing what he wanted over and over again without reprieve. She had lost track of time after the first few hours. She wasn't sure if it had been hours or days. It felt like days, but it was probably just hours.

Woo Ahn had made sure she ate though. She guessed he wanted her to keep her strength as he did what he wanted with her body. She ached everywhere, but that could be from where he had tied her up for his sadistic games. But she hadn't given him what he wanted. She hadn't told him where Eri was.

They had been completely wrong to think this man would only go after the people closest to Woo Bin. He wanted to completely destroy his brother. The best way to do that was to use someone else to draw the woman out. Ga Eul had gone like a lamb to the slaughter, voluntarily going to him.

But there was one thing Woo Ahn hadn't figured. Eri was the one person who could defend Woo Bin. She was the one person he had told everything to, the only person he could lay his heart out bare. She had been his strength for nearly a year. Nothing Woo Ahn threw at her would hit the heart she guarded so fiercely.

A shadow fell over her. Ga Eul looked up into Eri's face, surprised to see absolutely no emotion. She had worked hard at being friendly, but that was gone. In its place was detachment. In that, Ga Eul read everything. Woo Bin had told them everything.

Her eyes widened as she looked over Eri's shoulder. Woo Ahn slipped in behind her, and since she didn't have her hearing aids in, she didn't hear him. But Eri had spent many years just watching people's expressions. Just as Woo Ahn brought his hand down, she turned with her forearm out to block it. Woo Bin had taught her well. Since the Georges incident, he had been showing her basic techniques to defend herself, and she had picked up on it naturally.

She blocked the upper cut he swung at her chin and rammed her shoulder into his ribcage. He stumbled backwards, giving her enough time to get to her feet. Anger so potent rolled off her. She slipped her jacket off and tossed it behind her. Ga Eul pulled it arm, sinking into the warmth her friend's body heat had left.

Woo Ahn started talking, a sneer present on his face, but Ga Eul knew the woman guarding her wasn't hearing a thing he said. She probably wasn't even looking at his face. Eri's foot hit her knee gently. She was judging the distance between the two of them in case she had to go on the defensive.

In the end it was inevitable that Woo Ahn would get the upper hand. He was bigger than Eri and faster. He'd also been studying judo a lot longer than she had. It wouldn't take long for him to pin her.

When he thought she wasn't paying attention, Woo Ahn caught Eri across the face. She didn't move but he shoved her backwards until she fell in Ga Eul's lap. They made eye contact, and Ga Eul knew what she was doing.

She was stalling for time.

Eri always thought two steps ahead of everyone. Just because she didn't talk, they sometimes thought she didn't care, but the woman was intelligently planning things. She had been the first to figure out Woo Ahn's personality, why he was the way he was, and how to use it against him. She probably had already figured that Ga Eul would escape them and go on her own.

But what had she done to stall for time? Whose ass was the fire lit under that would come bursting through the door in the next little bit?

Ga Eul screamed as Eri shot up and turned her back to Woo Ahn. His fist came down in a hard blow and yet the woman still didn't budge. He rained down blow after blow after blow, finally howling in anger when he hadn't knocked the woman down.

She heard a bone crack and looked up. Pain stretched across Eri's face but she stayed upright. Ga Eul started to cry. She was afraid that no one would come in time and that Woo Ahn would kill them both. He was in a rage so dark that there was no coming out of it.

"Stop it!" she screamed. "We haven't done anything to you! Why are you doing this?"

"Because it's fun," Woo Ahn answered.

Ga Eul stood on shaky legs and wrapped her arms around Eri's waist as a support. She needed Eri as much as the woman needed her. "It's not fun. What happened to you that you treat your brother's friends like this?"

She felt Eri moving beside her, slipping her hand into her jacket pocket and pulling something out. So taking her jacket of had been a plan. What else was she up to?

"Woo Bin has had everything. My parents doted on him since he was the baby and made sure he had everything. I was told to study so I could take over my father's company but Woo Bin has always had it easy. He didn't have to study for his grades and always went out with the prettiest of girls. He didn't know what he had with Ha Jin, using Seo Hyun like that."

Once she got Woo Ahn ranting he didn't stop. He blamed everything on his parents, even his sadistic usage of women. But they did find out that his first sexual experience was with a woman much older than him. She hadn't been a dominatrix or anything, but she had taken him to brothels where some men were allowed to beat the women to get their pleasure. He had taken all of that and used it against his brother in anger. He hadn't cared that he was hurting him as long as he got his fix.

But when his parents had disinherited him, he had really started to hate Woo Bin. He had watched and waited for Woo Bin to grow up and become happy before he attacked him. Now was the prime time. Woo Bin had a steady girlfriend who he was going to make his wife and a son. Woo Ahn could take revenge on him if he liked because it was just right for the picking.

"I wonder what my brother will think when he finds both of you in a bruised and bloody mess?" he mused.

Ga Eul clutched at Eri, burying her face in her shoulder. She never thought this would happen. She had only heard about things like this happening in the news. She didn't think she'd be a victim of it herself.

The front door suddenly exploded in. Two men in black suits barged in followed by Woo Bin. He looked like an avenging angel with his leather jacket and jeans. He looked them over once before walking towards his brother.

The brawl that started was hard to watch. Woo Bin snagged his brother's arm and didn't let go. His fist connected over and over with Woo Ahn's face until his nose was bleeding and his lip was split. He tossed him to the floor and started for the girls.

But Woo Ahn wouldn't go down easily. He grabbed Woo Bin's ankle and yanked, drawing his brother down to the floor with him. He rolled until he was on top and used his weight to pin his brother down. Woo Bin barely got his hands up to block his brother's fists.

"I hate you!" he screamed. "You stole everything from me. My parents, my inheritance, my chance at a happy life!'

"No, you lost that for yourself the night you decided to lay your hands on me! It sent you down the wrong road! I warned you what would happen but you refused to listen! Instead you walked down a path of destruction! You're the one who did this to yourself!" Woo Bin answered. "I loved you even when you beat me. I cried for my brother when you weren't home!"

"I wish you were never born!"

Those words slammed into Woo Bin's chest like a ton of bricks. They made him heavy and sad. He blinked slowly then dropped his hands to his side. He was going to let his brother beat him if he wanted.

"I love you even now, Woo Ahn," he whispered.

As soon as the words left his mouth, Woo Bin felt relief. The heaviness disappeared and he could breathe easily. Right at that moment, a needle was jammed into Woo Ahn's neck and the plunger went down. His brother's eyes rolled into the back of his head and he fell like an elephant across his brother's chest. Woo Bin held on to him for a long moment before letting the men in black take him.

Ga Eul let Eri go so she could sit down beside Woo Bin. He rolled over and buried his head in her lap as he cried. This was what she had been waiting for. Woo Bin had needed to be the one to face his brother and the things of the past instead of hiding them, but in doing so, he was going to have to embrace what had happened.

Eri tilted his head up and made him look her in the eyes. She brushed her thumbs across his face, wiping tears and blood away. There was something calm about her that was washing over both of them.

"I'm proud of you, Song Woo Bin. When this is finally over and everyone has settled down, let's register as a married couple and the parents of Bin Ji," she said.

That not only brought fresh tears to Woo Bin's eyes, but Ga Eul started crying as well. She leaned heavily against her friend as the terror, pain, sadness, and anger washed over her. The steady rock of their family held both of them and let them do as they needed to get through it.

But the pity party didn't last long as three people entered the house. Jun Pyo, Ji Hoo, and Yi Jeong surveyed the room quickly. Ga Eul started crying in earnest as she saw the terrified look on Yi Jeong's face. She had put so much stress on her family by doing something rash, but she had unintentionally hurt Yi Jeong by not being honest.

He rushed over to her, falling to his knees before her and taking her into his arms. More tears flowed as they sat and cried by the other couple. Ji Hoo kneeled down and took Eri's left hand in his, examining the bruising that was starting to come up. Jun Pyo talked to the men who had restrained Woo Ahn out in the car, not like an unconscious man needed to be restrained.

"Yi Jeong," Eri said, looking directly at her best friend. "Ga Eul can't get cleaned up. The police will need all the evidence they can get."

"Evidence?" He stumbled over the word as if it were poison in his mouth. He looked at Ga Eul. Bravely she looked up at him. He started to cry again. "No."

She took his face in her hands. "I'm okay. Eri will go with me."

Eri nodded, putting Yi Jeong's mind at ease slightly. "I've been through it before. I know what is going to be happening. I can explain it to her, but we should get to the hospital."

"Yes we should," Ji Hoo said. "You fractured your left hand. I won't know more until I do an X-Ray."

"All right, but we take care of Ga Eul first." There was no room for argument in her voice.

The police came and took samples from the three that had been in the fight. They took pictures of Eri's hand and back which were bruising nicely. Due to a strange course of luck, the detective put on the case was the same one that had handled Eri's case a year ago. He had shaken his head when he came in, muttering something about he should have known, but he had done his job like he had a year ago. After yapping for what seemed like years, they were finally able to head to the hospital.


	9. Chapter 9

Ga Eul was glad Eri was there because as soon as Kyu Lee started the exam, she had felt way too exposed. How could Eri stand to go through this? It was humiliating even with her friend being the one to perform it. She gripped Eri's hand tightly and cried.

She stared at her friend's swollen hand, wondering how she was not feeling any pain. Eri was good at hiding things but her hand was swollen to three times the normal size. But she didn't say a word about it as she held Ga Eul's hand. The rock of their family was standing guard once again.

After the exam, Kyu Lee wanted to talk to Ga Eul alone. Eri had had that talk before so she excused herself to go outside and talk with Yi Jeong. The man had been pacing the floor since their arrival without a word about anything.

As soon as she stepped out into the hallway, Ji Hoo snagged her shoulder and steered her towards radiology. Yi Jeong had been grabbed along for the ride. It took a total of ten minute for her to find out that her arm was fractured right above the wrist. It was a clean break so all that had to be done was to set it and put it in a cast. Yi Jeong chose a dark blue one to go with his mood.

Ji Hoo had disappeared to go see about something of the third floor. Eri sat down in the waiting room and leaned into Yi Jeong. He wrapped his arm around her shoulder to borrow some of her strength. He needed it at the moment.

No one had prepared him for anything like this. No one expected their girlfriend to get attacked, but no one had ever explained what happened after she did. What was he supposed to do? Was he supposed to make sure she was okay? Was he supposed to give her some time? He was at a loss for everything.

"She won't be the same for a few weeks," Eri said suddenly. "First will come the sadness then the anger. She'll question why it was her, why she was the one he had to target. She'll be scared to go out in the world for fear of it happening again. Then will come the guilt. It won't be guilt that she was raped, but guilt for you. She'll feel like she isn't the woman you fell in love with. She will feel incomplete. It will be the hardest time you have ever experienced. She may not want you to touch her, but it's not her fault so don't blame her. Hold on to her even when she doesn't want you to."

Yi Jeong was suddenly glad he had a friend like Eri. She was so strong about the things that had happened in her past. She used them to help everyone else. He was still reminded that the wall she had built up around herself had shattered, yet she was as calm as she had been before Woo Ahn had taken Ga Eul.

"How are you feeling?" he asked. It was the only thing he could think of at the moment.

She looked up at him. "Yi Jeong, look at me. I have a broken hand and my friend is having a rape kit done." His face blanched at the thought. She reached up to rub his cheek. "Yi, I'm fine. I'm probably the most leveled person in our family at the moment."

She was probably right. Everyone else was busy doing something that kept their mind off the tragedy Woo Ahn had inflicted on them, but like usual Eri was somewhat detached and reserved about it. It gave her the time to take care of them when they needed it most.

They sat in silence as they waited for Kyu Lee to finish her chat. The detective appeared and asked Eri some questions. They had become friendly after Eri's case had been taken care of. After he was satisfied, he sat and waited with them. He was a smart man in the fact that he didn't ask too many unnecessary questions.

Ga Eul came out and Yi Jeong jumped up. She smiled at him and Kyu Lee explained to him the same thing she had explained to his girlfriend. Yi Jeong didn't like anything she said but she didn't have a choice. It came with being a doctor. Woo Bin came up just as she finished explaining things.

"My parents would like to see you, Ga Eul. That is if it's all right with you," he said.

Once gain he was taped up too. Woo Ahn had cut him across the eyebrow and busted his lip. His knuckles were bruised and cut as well. Woo Bin had gone to talk to his parents when they refused to give Woo Ahn a lawyer. They had said it was his fault that he was in trouble with the police and he should be the one to take control of it. Woo Bin, though upset at the loss of his brother, had paid a lawyer out of his own money to help his brother. Even after all of that, he still thought there was something good in his brother.

He walked past everyone and wrapped his arms around Ga Eul. She hugged him back, inhaling the scent she was used to. Even though he was of the same blood, Woo Bin was nothing like Woo Ahn. He was kind and thoughtful with the strength of an ox but with the gentleness of a dove.

"Let me apologize on his behalf," he said.

Ga Eul smiled and shook her head. "There's no need. I'm fine." She looked at Eri. "Right?"

She nodded. "If you aren't now, you will be. Just be patient."

"See? How can I not be with so much support behind me?"

Woo Bin nodded and rubbed his nose. He still felt guilty of everything because it had been his brother who had caused this mess, and he hadn't done anything to help stop it. If he had only told them the truth in the beginning instead of holding on to it until the very end, none of this would have happened. Even if it had, he would have been able to stop it from going so far.

Ga Eul pulled Woo Bin's head down and held him as fresh tears racked his system. He was tormenting himself for something he hadn't done. She looked at Eri but the woman shook her head. He didn't need her at the moment. What he needed was Ga Eul's comfort. He needed her to tell him it was okay.

Strangely enough, it was okay. Even though they were blood, she held no grudges against Woo Bin. How could she when he was the one who saved her?

"Woo Bin," she whispered in his ear, "no matter what you think, you are not a monster. Mafia, construction company heir, father, lover, friend, you are these things, but you are not a monster. A monster is someone who can't apologize. That is not you."

"You're mafia?" the detective asked.

"Tae Jyung," Eri warned. She shook her head at him. "This isn't the time."

"His company is on the straight and narrow now thanks to him," Yi Jeong said.

"But I saw two of the biggest crime bosses with him."

"That's because I called them," Eri said. Ga Eul looked at her. "I don't have the strength or the build of Woo Bin to take on his brother and I'm not reckless like Jun Pyo. So I did the only thing I know how to do. I called for help. I traded something precious to me to get that help."

"What did you trade?" Yi Jeong asked.

Eri's smile was sad. "My grandmother's locket. I don't have many items that have any sentimental value to me, but my grandmother was the one who raised me after I lost my hearing. She gave me the locket her mother gave to her when she was sixteen. It's the only thing I have of hers."

Ga Eul shook her head. "How could you do that?"

"Your life was more important. Now if you'll excuse me." She left them, turning right at the doorway.

Kyu Lee handed the box in her hands over to the detective. "This is everything. The clothes she was wearing, samples, everything. If there's anything else, let me know."

He accepted it. "Have you explained everything fully?"

"They know. It'll help that she has someone who has a similar experience."

"Can I go now?" Ga Eul asked. Kyu Lee nodded. She grabbed Yi Jeong's hand in one hand and Woo Bin's in the other. She led them out the door of the hospital. "Do you know where she went?"

"Try my studio," Yi Jeong replied.

They knew they were right the second they walked in. Music blared in the small space and in the middle was Eri. She had a glove covering her left hand that held her cast and she was holding a paint bucket. Something wasn't right. She just stood there staring at the board where they had made balloon art.

Without warning she hurled the paint bucket at the board and watched as the inky blackness covered the vibrant colors. She picked up another and chunked it as well. White paint covered the black paint and it all ran together. Paint can after paint can went flying across the room and smashed into the board until they were gone.

Now it was Yi Jeong's turn to comfort. He let go of Ga Eul's hand and strode forward at the exact moment Eri screamed. He grabbed her from behind and crossed her arms in front of her as all the emotions she had built up over the years came crashing through her.

He held her tightly as every emotion was ripped from her. He buried his head in her neck as his own emotions washed over him. She had been their rock. They had depended on her for the smallest things and yet they had never stopped to consider what would happen if that precious wall shattered. The only one who had seen her cry was Woo Bin, but this wasn't crying. No, this was having every emotion she never felt slipping through her grasp without the ability to stop them.

He looked up at the board. All the emotions she had explained to him were tainted, covered by black and white, but he got the underlying message.

"All colors form black or white in some way," he said. "Every color is white when it starts out, but combine them and you get black. Dividing them makes it easy to live but you live in a white world where everything is dull. Mix them together and you get a hint of black, but there is always color flying around."

"What happened?" Ga Eul asked.

"When you didn't contact us, the wall that had been blocking her emotions from the rest of us shattered. It was how she was able to hold off Woo Ahn until I got there," Woo Bin said. "She's held on longer than I thought she would. It's amazing all the pressure she can put up with before she finally snaps."

"What will you do if she retreats back into that shell?"

"I'd prefer her to be in that shell. As much as I want to know what she's feeling, I like the fact she takes time to sort out everything before she tells me. It makes it easier to digest what she says. She's not the most tactful person I've ever met."

Yi Jeong couldn't agree more. Finally she was calm enough that she wasn't doubled over. He gathered her to him and pressed her head into his shoulder. All they had to do was wait for the wall to go back up before they went home. Luckily Jan Di had Bin Ji taken care of.


	10. Chapter 10

**Author's Note:** This is the final chapter. I'm still taking ideas for another story. Thanks so much for putting up with my ramblings. This is short and sweet, tying up the remainder of the story. I know I have upset some people with what I did to Ga Eul. I upset myself, but sometimes I can't control what comes out. So if you are upset, I am truly sorry.

 **(*(*(*(*(*(*(*(*(**

Yi Jeong watched Ga Eul closely during the final proceedings. They had been going for the last two days to court for Woo Ahn's trial and sentencing. It had taken longer because he had wanted to fight at first, but Detective Kim Tae Jyung and Eri had an airtight case on him. There was nothing he could do about it so he had pled guilty to rape and aggravated assault.

It was a media storm outside. The Song family hadn't been in the media in years. The So family had due to Yi Jeong's mother's illness and his father's many different women. To have them in the news together meant something big had happened.

With the final sound of the gavel, it was done. Ga Eul took a deep breath and exhaled easily. It was finally over. She looked over at Eri and Woo Bin. They were sitting with his parents as Woo Ahn was led past. Their son was at home with Ji Hoo and Jun Pyo since Jan Di and Kyu Lee had to work.

Eri looked around and nodded at them. Completely composed, she was the old person they knew. She had slid back behind her stoic wall after a couple of days. Yi Jeong had decided that he was going to show the painting at the gallery and had called it "Shattered Glass." He said it was doing well, even having a bid of over eighty million Won.

Yi Jeong put a hand on her shoulder and motioned for her to precede him in leaving the courtroom. Tae Jyung fell into step before her. As soon as they hit the main doors, flashbulbs went off. The press was there and waiting for them. She kept her head down and one hand tucked securely in Yi Jeong's as they went to the car. So much for a quiet happy life.

When they were in the car and pulling away from the building, Yi Jeong frowned and looked at her. "Weren't Eri and Woo Bin right behind us?"

She nodded. "Yeah, but they said they had something they needed to do and would meet us at Jun Pyo's." She didn't say that she knew what they were doing.

They arrived at the mansion without as much as a fuss. Yi Jeong helped her out of the car and into the house. They were light hearted and finally happy. As a couple they had gone through the ringer. Now they were seeing a counselor to help them through it.

Ji Hoo met them at the door. He looked at them with a slight smile then looked over their shoulders. "Woo Bin and Eri?"

"They'll be along shortly. I want to get changed and eat. I'm starving," Ga Eul said.

She went on to her room, sighing when she was enclosed in the space. This was where she felt the most peace. Its smell was that of Yi Jeong's cologne, shampoo, body wash, and any other scent that made up that man. He had stood beside her the entire time and she was grateful for that. Not many men would do that, but the men of F4 were really out of this world.

As she was changing out of her dress, there was a light knock on the door. Through the mirror she saw Yi Jeong step in and quickly close the door behind him. He smiled as he walked over to her. Unzipping the dress, he kissed her bare shoulder as he pushed the material off.

"I'm very proud of you," he said as he held her gaze in the full length mirror. "Not many women can stare down their attacker in a court room, but you did."

She smiled. "I had plenty of help. But I don't think Woo Ahn was as afraid of us as he was the Song family and Eri. I wouldn't want to be in the same room as those four. They ooze power."

It took some time to get changed because in between the clothing coming off and going on was a mini porn movie, except there was no sex. It was just a lot of making out and kissing random body parts mixed with laughter. They hadn't been like this in the weeks leading up to the court dates. It was such a relief to be able to enjoy each other without that weighing on their minds.

When they were finally satisfied, they went into the dining room where Jun Pyo and Ji Hoo were already eating. The two men gave them knowing smiles, ribbed Yi Jeong for a bit then eased into pleasant conversation. Bin Ji kept trying to take Ji Hoo's chopsticks and bang them on the table, but the doctor kept shoving individual pieces of rice in his mouth to keep him preoccupied.

Not too long after, they all heard the front doors open, and Woo Bin's and Eri's voices filtered through. They poked their heads into the dining room, and Woo Bin's face broadened in a smile. Eri shook her head at him then went to sit beside Ji Hoo. Bin Ji recognized her immediately and about did somersault in midair to get to her. Ji Hoo pulled a face then started laughing. But it was Jun Pyo that noticed his friend.

"What's with the stupid look on your face?" he asked as Woo Bin sat down.

"Nothing. I'm just glad that Woo Ahn is getting the help he deserves. Oh, Mom and Dad said they're angry at you for not calling them. They said they would love to hear from both of their adopted sons more often," Woo Bin said.

Jun Pyo lifted his lip. "Why isn't Yi Jeong in on this?"

"I've already spoken to them eighteen times in the last month. You're the one who always claims he's way too busy to make phone calls. Then you turn around and call Jan Di," Yi Jeong bit back.

They bantered like that for a good few minutes. Ga Eul leaned across the table to get Eri's attention. She wore a knowing smile as she looked at the mother. "How is it in this family? Will they always fight like this?"

Eri shrugged. "I don't know. Ask me that when you're legally married."

Ji Hoo caught it first. "What does that mean? You're not legally part of this family either." She glanced at him. His face took on a look of shock. Then he looked at Woo Bin. "You guys registered your marriage?"

Woo Bin smiled and nodded as he held up his left hand. Instead of one silver band, he now had two. Eri's hand was the same way. "We did things a little differently though. Since Eri grew up with her mother taking her father's name, instead of Choi Erica, she is now Song Erica."

"But your mom is known as Francesca DeArgint," Ga Eul said.

"That's her professional name. legally she is Francesca DeArgint Choi," Eri replied.

Yi Jeong punched Woo Bin for effect. "Why didn't you tell us?"

"Your minds were preoccupied with the trial. And besides, we wanted it to be a surprise. We've also registered Bin Ji's birth certificate. He is now heir to the Song Family."

What they said was true. When one door closes, another door opens. And this door looked like it led to a bright new feature for everyone.

 **THE END**


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